


just ask

by AtLoLevad



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:41:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29159082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtLoLevad/pseuds/AtLoLevad
Summary: Poe comes home late one night and helps Rey work through her anxieties.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 16
Kudos: 47





	just ask

It’s quiet when Poe finally gets home.

The door hisses shut behind him and he rubs a hand over his face, exhausted. All of his moves are quiet and the thunking of his boots as he kicks them off feels too loud. Poe stops in his tracks, listening to see if anyone heard.

When the house remains quiet, he makes his way carefully to the kitchen. He steps on a stuffed toy as he goes - not careful enough - wincing and nudging it out of the way. Better the stuffed toy than the building bricks that Bey’s recently been obsessed with. Those things kriffing hurt to step on.

Rey left him a plate from dinner and even though he hadn’t been hungry back at Command, Poe is suddenly ravenous now. He shovels down the food quickly and deposits the plate and fork in the sink, making a mental note to get to it in the morning. He yawns and heads for the kids’ room, intending on kissing their cheeks before going to bed himself.

The nursery is dark, with a nightlight throwing faint images of the galaxy on the ceiling. Poe and Bey had laid on the floor for hours just a few days ago, with Poe pointing out all the planet systems and star markers. Luna, with the attention span of a porg, had listened for five minutes before hitting Poe on the cheek and demanding his attention. Rey, watching from a glider chair, had laughed and pulled Luna into her arms so they could go watch a holo-toon. The fact that they would soon be outnumbered wasn’t lost on Poe in that moment.

Poe hovers by the door to the nursery, wanting to make sure the kids are truly asleep before interrupting. It’s nearly five hours past their bedtimes, so they should be deep in their dreams. The air in the room is a different kind of quiet than the rest of the apartment. It’s softer and Poe knows both kids are out.

He kneels by Bey’s bed first, taking a minute to just enjoy the sight of his son. The young boy’s hair is a mess and his face is pressed into his pillow, cheek and lips smushed to one side. Bey’s got a toy X-wing under his arm, fingers loosely curled around it. Poe’s heart clenches and he leans in to kiss Bey’s forehead. “ _Dulces sueños, mijito,_ ” he whispers in Yavinese.

Bey’s little nose wrinkles and Poe backs away before h can wake up, knowing Rey will kill him if her hard work at bedtime went to waste.

He scoots over the rug to Luna’s crib - the room is small and they’re definitely going to have to find a bigger place once the new baby needs an actual place to sleep.

Looking into Luna’s crib, Poe sees her little feet where he expected to see her head. She’s upside down and Poe smothers a snorted laugh. Her blanket is tangled with her legs and one hand is thrown over her head while the other clutches a stuffed tauntaun to her chest.

Poe runs a hand over Luna’s dark hair and whispers, “ _dulces sueños, Lunita_.” He doesn’t dare risk kissing her cheek because Luna’s a lighter sleeper than Bey.

Her breathing hitches and Poe curses to himself when one dark eye blinks blearily open, looking at him but not focusing. The other eye follows and Poe’s grateful to see that they’re sleepy and unfocused.

“Pa?” she mumbles, eyes falling shit again.

“Sleep, _mi amorcito_ ,” Poe whispers, brushing his hand over her head again and focusing his energy. He’s nowhere close to being as strong in the Force as Rey or the kids, but he’s picked up a few tricks over the years.

Luna huffs a soft breath and settles deeper against the mattress, her mouth opening and letting out a tiny baby snore. Poe grins.

Satisfied that the kids are out, Poe pads into his and Rey’s bedroom, already stripping off his clothes as he goes. Helping to reorganise the galaxy and build a better democracy requires nicer clothes than piloting an X-wing in a rebellion did, so he’s always happy to get out of the stiffer shirts and pants and into comfy sweats.

Rey’s a lump under the covers on their bed, so Poe changes as quickly and quietly as he can manage. She’s been so tired lately - between raising their kids, training new young Jedi, and growing their third child, it’s a miracle that she’s awake and functional during the day at all. Poe’s in awe of his wife and more than madly in love with her.

Crawling under the covers, Poe’s hand immediately finds the large swell of Rey’s stomach. The baby’s probably asleep, but he likes feeling the vibrant hum of its Force signature under his hand. Maybe he’ll be rewarded with a little nudge if it rolls around.

“Long day,” Rey’s sleepy voice comments, cutting through the silence and nearly sending Poe into cardiac arrest.

“Kriff,” he grumbles, “I thought you were asleep?”

Rey blinks lazily and looks at him. “I was, but I heard you come in. Or,” she lifts one hand and waves it around the side of her head, “I felt you come in, technically.”

“Sorry,” Poe replies, hand stroking absently over her stomach. “I thought you’d be completely asleep.”

“Mmm,” Rey hums, “I was. For a bit. But I woke up to use the sani and realised how late it was and you weren’t home. I’ve only been fading in and out of sleep since then.”

“When was that?” he asks curiously. He yawns and gently tugs Rey closer. She complies easily, loosely resting her hand over his shoulder.

She lifts her head slightly to check the chrono on Poe’s bed side table and wrinkles her nose. “About three hours ago.”

Poe drops his face to her hair and groans, “I’m sorry, Sunshine. I know you’re exhausted.”

With a wave of her hand, Rey dismisses his concern. “It’s fine. Somehow,” she teases, “I’ve gotten used to sleeping with another body in my bed.”

“We could always relocate Bey and Lu in here, if you need,” Poe teases right back.

“And get Lu’s pointy knees and elbows in my side?” Rey asks, laughing. “No, I’ll stick with you.”

Poe kisses her forehead, “I love you, Sunshine, but where do you think Lu gets those pointy knees and elbows from? Not to mention the tossing and turning.”

“Not so much tossing and turning happening lately,” Rey says, affectionately patting the swell of her stomach.

“No,” Poe agrees, his hand joining hers. He shoots her a wicked grin, “which is great for my kidneys.”

For that, Rey kicks him in the shin and Poe yelps. “Why are your feet so cold?” he mutters, holding her close.

Rey shrugs in his embrace. “They usually are, but with most of my energy going to the baby, they’re even colder.”

“Go on,” Poe sighs, mock-put upon, “stick ‘em against my shins. I’ll warm you up.”

She happily presses her bare feet against Poe’s shins, giggling when he yells again about the cold. She buries her face in his chest, their baby cocooned in between them, and exhales. Poe’s hand is heavy on her back, a warm, comforting weight.

“You okay?” he asks. “That sigh was a little weird.”

“Not a sigh,” Rey counters. “Just an exhale. It’s called breathing, Dameron. Tons of beings across the galaxy have to do it to survive.”

Poe rolls his eyes and nudges her cheek with his nose. “Wow, you’re sarcastic lately. That better not be an indication of how this kid’s going to be.” The backs of his knuckles tap against her stomach.

They’re quiet for a while, comfortably falling into a near sleep, when Rey whispers something inaudible into the skin at the base of his throat. Poe blinks.

“What was that, Sunshine?” he says around a yawn. Maker, it’s got to be nearly 0200 at this point, and he has to be up at 0600 to work through plans for diplomatic ambassador visits with Finn. It’s going to be a heavy kaf day.

Rey pulls away from him just a bit and mumbles, “Come home early tomorrow.”

“I’ll try,” Poe replies, wondering about the reasoning behind her request. “But you know my schedule can be shot to Tatooine in a second.”

“I know,” Rey mumbles again and this time her voice sounds watery. And kriff, are those tears on his chest! Is she crying? Her hands grip at his biceps tightly and Poe brushes hair from her face.

“Rey, sunshine,” he dips his head, a worried frown on his face - she doesn’t usually cry out of nowhere like this - “talk to me. What’s the matter?”

She hiccups. “I don’t know! Nothing, I just miss you and I’m tired and everything is so difficult lately.”

Oh.

Poe feels like a kriffing idiot for thinking that everything was fine. Rey usually kept her feelings bottled up, even still after nearly five years of marriage. Of course she would be overwhelmed and he was barely home to help.

“I don’t know why I can’t handle everything,” Rey whispers, sounding heartbroken. “I just, I thought - “

“Sunshine, Rey, it’s a lot for you to be dealing with at once,” Poe says soothingly, cupping her cheek. “I’m going to take the kids with me tomorrow. You just relax here, sleep a little, watch a holo-soap.”

“Bey hates day care,” Rey replies miserably.

Poe snorts. “I’ll hook the kid to my belt like a blaster if it means you get a day to relax.”

Rey giggles quietly and curls up against Poe’s chest. “I’m sorry that I can’t handle everything,” she whispers.

“Are you kidding me? You’re tougher than anyone I know,” Poe says, incredulous. “All this change and stress would be a lot for anyone. Hells, I’m constantly exhausted and second guessing myself.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Poe promises. “But that’s what I’m here for, to help when you get overwhelmed. You just have to tell me, sweetheart.”

Rey nods against his chest.

“I’ll give you the stars, Rey,” Poe whispers reverently. “You only have to ask.”

**Author's Note:**

> some domestic fluff! it's been written for a while, but needed editing and since i was working from home today, i figured it would be a perfect time! enjoy!


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